Vehicles may use a timing belt or chain to drive various features in an internal combustion engine.
For example, US 2006/0137636 A1 describes a cam drive gear and valve operating system drive gear for an engine. The system includes a chain guide member for each drive gear system.
The inventors herein have recognized various issues with the above system. In particular, increasing the number of chain guides for guiding various chains of different drive systems also increases the size and weight of the engine, as well as manufacturing complexity. Increased engine size and weight can adversely affect vehicle performance, for example, by decreasing fuel economy.
As such, one example approach to address the above issues is to arrange the engine drive system such that the number of chain guides can be reduced, while still sufficiently tensioning each chain. In this way, it may be possible to reduce the size and weight of the engine. Specifically, the chain guide may include a surface for guidingly contacting each chain. Further, the chain guide may include a tension adjustment mechanism for actuating each surface in guidingly contact with a chain. This configuration enables the chain guide to maintain tension in a plurality of drive systems that are not necessarily coplanar. Further, by taking advantage of a consolidated engine drive system, manufacturing costs can be reduced as the number of chain guides per engine drive system decreases.
Note that various chains may be used, such as a timing chain, a timing belt, or various other types of elastic and/or inelastic flexible bands. Further, the chain may mate to toothed or un-toothed pulleys on the various shafts. Further still, additional chains may also be used, if desired.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.